Lacombe names municipal sustainability plan

When it comes to sustainability, the City of Lacombe is taking the long view.

For example, the community is billing its process to develop a Municipal Sustainability Plan as Lacombe2040.

“Lacombe2040 will be the lens for all our decisions and how we do business in the future,” says Jeff Laurien, the city’s manager of planning and development in a news release announcing upcoming initiatives.

“Achieving the Lacombe2040 vision will only be possible with community-wide commitment, so we hope partners and citizens will get involved so they too can take ownership of the direction being charted for Lacombe.”

A pair of focus groups have been organized to discuss the community’s future along with consultants hired for the project at city hall on the morning of Sept. 21.

A public kick-off event has been scheduled for later the same day at the Lacombe Memorial Centre from 7 to 9 p.m. Residents will learn about the process and hear about success stories from other communities such as Calgary.

The following day, public workshops will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Memorial Centre and will look at sustainability and its effects: natural areas, food and agriculture, homes and neighbourhoods, the local economy, health, buildings and heritage sites, transportation, infrastructure, culture, education and leisure.